The Phil Brown Swingtet Returns to The Duck and Ball
Thursday night riverside jazz is now a fixture at cricket club bar
Diane Slater singing 'On the Sunny Side of the Street', with the Band. Picture: Tim Wacher
May 3, 2026
The Phil Brown Swingtet returns to The Duck and Ball on Thursday 21 May, launching another season of third-Thursday jazz sessions that have quietly become one of Chiswick’s most joyful regular nights out.
The cricket club bar on Riverside Drive will once again play host to Phil Brown’s six-piece ensemble, a band whose range stretches comfortably from Armstrong’s early swing to the sleek drive of Basie and the modern edge of Joe Zawinul.
Phil Brown leads on trombone with the ease and humour of a musician who has spent a lifetime on the bandstand. His son Lester brings a warm, lyrical tone on trumpet and flugelhorn, while Mark Aston moves effortlessly between clarinet and the full family of saxophones. The rhythm section is anchored by Mike Bennett’s steady, unshowy double bass, with brothers Andrew and David Clancy providing the harmonic colour and rhythmic spark on piano and drums. It is a line-up that can shift mood and style in an instant, making each session feel both relaxed and musically alive.
Regular guests add to the sense of a musical community gathering. Vocalists Diane Slater, Teresa Jennings, Isabel Saunders and Stephan O’Goodson are frequent collaborators, with the occasional appearance from Tim Wacher. Trumpeters Chris Hodgkins and Anthony Cox drop in, as do members of the extended Clancy family: Pete Clancy on trombone, Steve Clancy on clarinet, and Dave Alison on clarinet and baritone sax. The result is a night where the set list is never quite predictable, but always rooted in the great jazz songbook.
The April session offered a perfect snapshot of the band’s breadth. They opened with Ellington’s “In a Mellow Tone” before moving through “Just Friends” and a tender “A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square”. Joe Zawinul’s “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” brought a burst of soul-jazz energy, followed by Basie’s “Taps Miller”. Fats Waller’s “I’m Going to Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter”, sung by Phil, closed the first set with a wink.
The second half began with Diane Slater’s warm, swinging take on “On the Sunny Side of the Street”, before guest trumpeter Anthony Cox stepped forward for “Satin Doll”. Fats Waller returned with “Ain’t Misbehavin’”, featuring Pete Clancy and a vocal from Lester, and the band then launched into the New Orleans favourite “Bourbon Street Parade”. The evening wound down with “The Isle of Capri”, “Basin Street Blues”, and even a playful nod to the “Wallace and Gromit” theme.
Adding to the atmosphere were Dan Guest’s Lindy Circle Dancers, whose elegant swing dancing has become a highlight of recent sessions. Their presence brings a sense of 1930s ballroom glamour to the pavilion, and they are warmly welcomed whenever they appear.
Entry to the evening is free, the music runs from 8pm to 10.30pm, and parking is available. The Duck and Ball, at 12 Riverside Drive (W4 2SP), sits opposite Dukes Meadows and offers food and a relaxed, friendly bar. Buses E3, 190 and 533 stop nearby. For anyone who loves live jazz—or simply wants a convivial evening in a welcoming local venue—the Swingtet’s monthly residency remains one of Chiswick’s most dependable pleasures.
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